Kennedy Travel Journal – Day 1 & 2

KENNEDY TRAVEL JOURNAL (I’m already far behind on this & it’s my first post! Ha! It will hopefully get a bit more exciting as we move along in our trip, so hang in there!!!)

Day 1 – Searcy to Nashville

• Dusty finished up some work in the car, Amy drove, & the girls were in high spirits from anticipation.
• We ate at the famous Loveless Cafe in Nashville, & had an awesome experience. Delicious food, friendly service, great atmosphere. Highly recommend. We explored what I will describe as the “Loveless campus”. It was a fun time for all!
• Visited the Nashville Parthenon after hours, so we got some good night shots.
• Stayed in our first Airbnb. It was a tiny little apartment in a complex with the Cumberland River LITERALLY in the back yard. It was cute, but not the best place we’ve ever stayed. As a family, we are a house divided on choosing this option over hotels. Decision pending.
  

Day 2 – Nashville to Mammoth Cave NP & Frankfort, Kentucky

• Dusty still had to work a half day before his official vacation began, so we finally headed out of Music City around noon, via a drive down Broadway since the girls had never seen it. (Not sure they were all that impressed. Lol.)
• Another first for the girlies, a pit stop at Third Man Records (headquarters to Jack White, one of my fave musicians of all time. Sadly, he is on tour elsewhere, so I knew there was no chance of a sighting.) The girls (still not that impressed, lol) played around with the vintage sound equipment, & attempted to listen to some vinyl in the booth, but the equipment had some technical difficulties.
• Unfortunately, we experienced some mild to moderate “turbulence” with our attitudes throughout the day.
• Did a 2-hour Mammoth Cave Tour, which included 500+ stairs (both ways) & some tight squeezes, plus some unwelcome critter sightings (giant spiders & cave crickets *shudder*). “Frozen Niagara” is one of their featured formations. While cave adventures are generally pretty cool & the landscapes vary (& we always love stamping our National Parks passports), I personally think once you’ve seen one cave, you’ve seen ‘em all. #IMHO
• Enjoyed some unique ice cream flavors at Spelunkers Cafe (the Toasted Coconut was delicious & Dusty liked his (Kentucky) Bourbon Crunch).
• Simona completed select activities to earn another Jr. Ranger badge to add to her collection.
• Ate a quick dinner in Bardstown, KY before heading to our hotel in Frankfort.  There were some speed bumps with the hotel room, including a poorly working air conditioner, so we had to switch rooms, and thankfully we were upgraded to a better room. But by that point, it was so late & we were so tired, all we needed was a place to shower & crash. Better luck next time. 

Overall, it was a pretty good day.  Up next: Cleveland!